State applies for grant to expand health care work force

By Amanda Cuda, Staff Writer

Published 1:12 pm, Monday, October 19, 2009

The state has applied for roughly $5 million in federal stimulus money to expand the state's health care work force, according to an announcement made Monday by Gov. M. Jodi Rell. The funding would go to providing scholarships, affordable education and other support to low-income people wishing to pursue nursing or another health-related career.

Regionally, health care professionals said that, if the state receives the money, it could help offset a looming shortage of health care workers. "This is a good cause," said Ron Bianchi, corporate senior vice president at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport. "A lot of people don't go into the health care field because they can't afford advanced training or retraining."

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Plans for the money include providing more than $900,000 in scholarship and financial support to new students entering the field, and to current health care workers who seek to expand their skills. The money would be used through Connecticut's Workforce Investment Strategies in Healthcare (WISH), a comprehensive initiative that works in partnership with community colleges and local work force boards.

But not all those receiving funding through the grant fall into these categories.

St. Vincent's College, in Bridgeport, an independent two-year college that provides education in nursing and other health-related fields, is also slated to get a piece of the funding. The college is affiliated with St. Vincent's Medical Center.

College vice president and dean Joanne Wolfertz said St. Vincent's share of the money would go toward helping current students stay in school. Many students who come through the college need academic assistance to graduate and go on to the health care field, Wolfertz explained. "A lot of students who come here have not been in a classroom in a long time," she said.

Creating health care workers is essential, Wolfertz said, as many people in these fields -- particularly nursing -- are nearing retirement age. In this unstable economic climate, she said, these older worker are loathe to retire because they needed the money provided by steady employment. But, once the country's financial situation improves, people will start retiring again, leaving a gap in health professions.

Bianchi echoed Wolfertz's concerns about the aging health care work force, and hopes that the money the state is pursuing will help funnel fresh blood into the profession. "This is needed," he said.

According to a press release from the governor's office, the three-year stimulus grant would help WISH place more than 3,200 students in 11 community college degree programs, helping them to pursue careers as nurses, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, surgical technicians and other health professional. Additionally, WISH would find jobs for 2,500 new health care workers and provide expanded retraining opportunities to more than 600 workers.

Another local health official also applauded the application for the stimulus funding. Like Bianchi and Wolfertz, Hope Juckel-Regan, Bridgeport Hospital executive vice president and chief operating officer, fears a nursing shortage is on the horizon. "I strongly believe we need to do all we can to bring more people into the profession," she said.